TAMPA – Smith’s home library is adorned with a golden idol from the opening action scene of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and a medallion that helps Indiana Jones find the Ark. It’s a replica.
“Of course I love this movie,” Chris Smith said with a laugh.
He and his wife, Donna Smith, are a bit of Indiana Jones.
Just like the famous fictional archaeologist, they love history. But rather than fight the Nazis over possession of a powerful religious artifact, in March 2022 they decided to build a building in one of Tampa’s more unique historic buildings: a Lehman building partially made out of cigar boxes. The house was purchased and restored.
Like Indiana Jones, the Smiths believe that history belongs to the people.
So Saturday, as part of the Old Hyde Park Home Tour, they will open the 109-year-old mansion at 716 S. Newport Ave. to the public.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the four-bedroom, two-story, 6,200-square-foot home is notable for several reasons. “The Lehman House is a fine example of a wood-framed and stucco Prairie-style home, rare in Florida.” And it “deserves some attention as the home of one of Tampa’s business figures of the early 20th century.” .
Henry and Margaret Lehman moved to Tampa from New York in 1894 and opened a factory manufacturing cigar boxes at a time when Tampa was the cigar capital of the world. According to news archives, by 1929 this business was producing 25,000 boxes per day, more than any of its competitors in the world.
Legend has it that the wood used in the box was used to construct the Lehman House, designed by architect Leo Elliott, whose career includes Tampa City Hall, the Centro Asturiano de Tampa, the Italian Club, and the headquarters of the Cuban Club. Ta.
Donna Smith said this was her “favorite part of the story,” as she and her husband finished each other’s sentences as they told the story.
The Lehman factory “was importing a lot of cedar from Cuba and Yucatan,” Chris Smith said. “And often they would cut the wrong tree and end up with pine or mahogany or tweed. They knew which ones were valuable.”
“And they brought it home,” Donna Smith said.
In other words, the house’s wooden walls, stairs, and bookcases are, in a sense, made of cigar boxes.
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When the Smiths bought the house, those walls had been painted white by the previous owner. They removed the paint and exposed the original wood.
The bones of the house were in disrepair, but Chris Smith said it wasn’t due to neglect. “Every old house needs work, and this one was no exception.” They replaced the roof and repaired some of the eaves.
Then, in 1914, when the Smiths knew they needed to restore the split staircase leading to the front door, they purchased marble from the same Georgia quarry as the Lehmans.
“We wanted to restore it to its original glory as much as possible,” Chris Smith said.
The Smiths moved to Tampa from Mountain Lakes, N.J., in 2021 after selling a company that made paint additives and preservatives. Their previous home was historic and they wanted to find another home here. They moved into an apartment until a suitable one came on the market.
Donna Smith works as a paralegal at Hill Ward Henderson, while her husband focuses solely on the mansion.
“Restoring this house was literally a full-time job,” he said.
The Smiths said that by owning the car, they had formed a kind of fraternity with its previous owners.
Hotel developer Joe Collier also presented them with a gift. Around 2005, when Mr. Collier added a pool and completed the basement, workers discovered 12 unopened bottles of Cuban rum that Mr. Lehman may have purchased illegally during Prohibition. One of his bottles is now on display in the Smith family’s living room.
Will they drink it?
“I’m curious to see what it tastes like,” Chris Smith said. “But I’ll never open it. …It’s part of the history of this house.”
if you go
Hyde Park Preservation Inc. will be hosting an Old Hyde Park Home Tour on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Five homes are also part of the tour, which begins at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 906 S Orleans Ave.
Tickets are $30 in advance. oldhydeparkfl.membershiptoolkit.com/hometour or $35 at the door.
Correction: Lehman House’s address is 716 S. Newport Ave. A previous version of this article had an incorrect address.